Empire of Japan. The Empire of Japan (大日本帝國, Dai Nippon Teikoku? , literally "Greater Japanese Empire")[5] was an empire and world power that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868 to the enactment of the 1947 constitution of modern Japan.[3] Imperial Japan's rapid industrialization and militarization under the slogan Fukoku Kyōhei (富国強兵? , "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army") led to its emergence as a world power, eventually culminating in its membership in the Axis alliance and the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific region. At the height of its power in 1942, the Empire of Japan ruled over a land area spanning 7,400,000 square kilometres (2,857,000 sq mi), making it one of the largest maritime empires in history.[6] After several large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the Pacific War, the Empire of Japan also gained notoriety for its war crimes against the peoples of the countries it conquered.
Terminology[edit] Boshin War[edit] European colonial Empires, British, French in the 19th and 20th Centuries - The Map as History. Europe's colonial expansion : colonization of Africa, colonization of Asia, Indian Empire, French Colonial Empire, British Empire, colonies and colonial empires of European countries European countries began exploring and seeking to dominate the rest of the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, thanks to their ability to control sea routes and to the discovery of the American continent.
In the 19th century, energized by the industrial revolution and under pressure from a rapidly growing population, Europe launched a new period of colonial expansion, inspired by the discovery of new markets, new areas for the settlement of Europe’s poor migrants, and the desire to " civilize the barbarian nations ". European Imperialism in the 19th Century The industrial revolution and pressure from a growing population in Europe led to a new phase of colonial expansion. Emigration of Europeans to the Far Corners of the World The British Empire: Trading Routes and Construction France and its Colonies.
Neocolonialism. Neocolonialism (also Neo-colonialism or Neo-imperialism) is the geopolitical practice of using capitalism, business globalization, and cultural imperialism to influence a country, in lieu of either direct military control or indirect political control, i.e. imperialism and hegemony.[1] The term neo-colonialism was coined by Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah, to describe the socio-economic and political control that can be exercised economically, linguistically, and culturally, whereby promotion of the culture of the neo-colonist country facilitates the cultural assimilation of the colonised people and thus opens the national economy to the multinational corporations of the neo-colonial country. The term[edit] Origins[edit] Kwame Nkrumah (pictured on a Soviet postage stamp) is a Ghanaian politician who coined the term "Neo-colonialism.
" In place of colonialism, as the main instrument of imperialism, we have today neo-colonialism . . . The non-aligned world[edit] Françafrique[edit] Francophonie. Map of Colonial Africa in the Twentieth Century. Spanish Empire. The Spanish Empire (Spanish: Imperio español), commonly referred to at the time as the Spanish Monarchy,[1] comprised territories and colonies administered by the Spanish Crown in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration as one of the first global empires. Under the Spanish Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its political and economic power[2] when it became the foremost global power.
Spain's territorial reach beyond Europe spanned nearly six centuries, starting with the conquest of the Canary Islands in 1402 followed by the first voyages to the Americas in 1492 until the loss of its last African colonies in 1975. Spain experienced its greatest territorial losses during the early 19th century, when its colonies in the Americas began fighting for independence. The Spanish Empire leaves a cultural and linguistic legacy around the world. Definition[edit] Origins[edit] Canary islands[edit] The first colonial war and world's partition[edit]
Italian Empire. The Italian Empire (Italian: Impero Italiano) was created after the Kingdom of Italy joined other European powers in establishing colonies overseas during the "Scramble for Africa". Modern Italy, as a unified state, had only existed from 1861. By this time, France, Spain, Portugal, Britain and the Netherlands had been carving out large empires for several hundred years.
One of the last remaining areas open to colonisation was on the African continent. The Fascist government under Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, which came to power in 1922, sought to increase the size of the empire further. In the late 1930s, Mussolini intended to increase Italy's power and influence by seeking to break up the Anglo-French alliance by being more conciliatory and cooperative with Britain, while being aggressive towards France.[4] Italy sided with Germany during World War II and initially enjoyed successes.
History[edit] Birth of a nation and scramble for an empire (1848–1914)[edit] British Empire. During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia.[5] A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England (and then, following union between England and Scotland in 1707, Great Britain) the dominant colonial power in North America and India. The independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies.
British attention soon turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Following the defeat of Napoleonic France in 1815, Britain enjoyed a century of almost unchallenged dominance and expanded its imperial holdings across the globe. French Empire. The French colonial empire was constituted of the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 17th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First colonial empire", that existed until 1814 and by which time most of it had been lost, and the "Second colonial empire", which began with the conquest of Algier in 1830 and came to an end with the granting of independence to Algeria in 1962.
By 1900, it had become the world's second-largest colonial empire, albeit far behind the British Empire both in terms of population and size.[1] On the eve of World War II, it covered some 12,300,000 km² of land, with a population of 110 million (including France). In rivalry with England, France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean, and India, following the Portuguese and Spanish successes during the Age of Discovery. First French colonial empire[edit] The Americas[edit] Africa and Asia[edit] Carte de L'Indoustan. Portuguese Empire. An anachronistic map of the Portuguese Empire (1415-1999). Red: actual possessions; Pink: explorations, areas of influence and trade and claims of sovereignty; Blue: main sea explorations, routes and areas of influence.
This article is a comprehensive list of all the actual possessions of the Portuguese Empire. Territories of the Portuguese empire[edit] In Africa[edit] Portuguese presence in Africa started in 1415 with the conquest of Ceuta and is generally viewed as ending in 1975, with the independence of its later colonies, although the present autonomous region of Madeira is located in the African Plate, some 650 km (360 mi) off the North African coast, Madeira belongs and has always belonged ethnically, culturally, economically and politically to Europe, some 955 km (583 mi) from the European mainland. From Cantino planisphere of 1502. Ceuta: possession (1415–1640). North Atlantic and North America[edit] From Reinel-Lopo Homem Atlantic chart of 1519.
In Central and South America[edit]